f 



^ FUNERAL EULOGY 



05 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 



DBWVERBD BEFORE THB 



MILITARY AUTHORITIES 



IW 



WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19th, 1865. 



BY 



P. S. IV AKS, CHAPLAI17 13th N. Y. H. Artillery 



PUBLISHED BY BEQUEST. 
NORFOLK, VA., 

PRINTED AT THE OFFICE OF THE OLD DOMINION, ROANOKE SQUARB. 




V.X, 




FUNERAL EULOGY 



ON 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



DELIVRRED BEFORE THE 



I MILITAKY AUTHORITIES 



IN 



WEDNESDAY, APRIL IOtii, LSCH. 



BY 



P. S. EVANS, CHAPLAIN 13th N. T. H. Artillery. 



PUBLISHED BY liEQUEST. 



NORFOLK, VA 

HUNTED AT THE OFFICE OF THE OLD DOMINION , KOANOKE SQUARE. 



.8 



EXPLANATORY NOTE. 



The following Eulogy, prepared at a day's notice, by order of 
Brig. Gen. Geo. H. Gordon, was pronounced in the Presbyterian 
Church, Norfolk, Va., before the Military autliorities of Norfolk 
and Portsmouth. Col. Howard and the other officers of my regi- 
ment, together with many loyal citizens, having re(iuested it for 
publication, I have not felt at liberty to withhold it. 

It appears now prceiselj as first pronounced, excejjtthefew last 
paragraphs, which were spoken extemporaneously, and tlie sub- 
stance of which, only, I have been able to rwall. 

P. 8. E. 

Fort ' Hazlett," near Portsmouth, Va., 
April, 21. s/, 1865. 



M Y FRIENDS: 

How can 1 give expref>;,sion to the feelings of this hour? What 
need is there to add to tlie harden of sorrow in your 
hearts wliich is already unendurahle? Why endeavor to inteusi- 
fv that Eighteons Anger which even now hnrns as a lire shut up 
in your hones? Or how, in the very newness and freslmess of 
your grief, hope to turn your thoughts, even for a moment, to the 
contemplation of that gain whit»h we ho})e and believe will accrue 
from this great loss ? 

To give utterance to your sense of the loss you have sutfered, 
is impossible. To convince you that this evil may yet redound in 
good is, I fear, almost liopeless. Surely you will believe me when 
I say I shrink from the task as too hastily assumed. But the ne- 
cessity is now" laid upon me ; and, witli whatever of reluctance, 
with whatever forebodings of failure, I Ujust attei:i))t to put our 
common grief in words ; and though my own hea;t sliould refuse 
the consolation 1 ofier yours, must still endeavor to look tbrouuh 
tlie darkness to the serene Heavens, wliere God reigns, and jtoint 
you to those stars of liope whicli still sliinc brightly above the 
shadows of tlie overhanging cloud. 

It is not yet a Aveek since Ave were on the very piunacle o\' lia})- 
piness. From every loyal house Hags were daunting and coh»rs 
streaming. From the towers of every loyal church the bells rang 
merry peals. From every fort the cannon luirtled forth their 
deep tones of joy. Every heart was light. Every face was 
wreathed in soiiles. From the far North to tlie Alleghanies — 
from the farthest East to the farthest West, the air was resonant 
with shouts of merriment, and the ])eople were delirious witli joy 
— and rightly so. The time, long waited for, seemed to liave 
come at last. After the four years night of war, the rosy light of 



peace appeared to be hurrying on apace. Victory after rictory had 
followed each other in bewildering succession. City after city, 
that had maintained a stout opposition, had fallen a lawful prize 
to our arms. State after State had been redeemed from its bon- 
dage to rebellion. Army after army of insurgents had been sub- 
dued by theprowess of the nation. Fighting must cease, for there 
were no longer any cities to take, any enemies to conquer. The 
calmly expressed and the perseveringly pursued purpose of Abra- 
ham Lincoln had been accomplished— lie had repossessed himself 
of nearly all the forts and arsenals that treason had wrested from 
him. ^ Tlie flag was again flying over the crumbled walls of Sum- 
ter. Cliarleston, tlie nest in which the brood of traitors had been 
hatched ; and Richmond, the hole into which they had crawled 
and where they had liid themselves, had l)een purged of their 
presence. The deluded masses of tlie people, who had been the 
hands and feet of tJie rebellion, were fast returning to their alle- 
giance, and the leaders, who had been the crazed head and the 
corrupt lieart of this wicked conspiracy, were prisoners of war or 
fugitives and vagal)0nds in the land. The nation had manfully 
werked, and heroically suffered, and patiently waited, and they 
began to i-eap their reward. 

We had liad victories before, but our joy in what had been done, 
had always hitherto been dampened by the thought of what re- 
mained to be done. And we had never dared to speak of our tri- 
umphs save in bated breath, lest we should, by some sad and 
unforeseen reverse, be robbed of all we had gained and be forced 
at last to submit to the division of our territory, the decay of our 
institutions, and the destruction of our liberties. To be sure we 
never would confess these fears ; but who has not felt them for 
himself y When we have remembered the unaccountable disasters 
of the past— when wc have considered how often evervthing has 
been lost tlirough the faithlessness of parties at the North— when 
we have thought of the possible, nay, almost inevitable foreign 
complications that we were threatened with— have we not, in our 
secret hearts, feared that all our struggles might 1)e in vain? that 
the precious l)]ood so freely poured out might be but as water 
*])illed upon the ground, which could not be gathered ; that God 
would not accei)t our costly sacriflce as expiation for our sins ; 



that, despite all our endeavorsj our country, at least in its greatness 
and its glory, wonld be among the nations that had been. 

But no such fears blunted the edge of our rejoicings one week 
since — the last doubt of our speedy success had been dispelled by 
our occupation of Richmond and the surrender of the Army of 
Northern Virginia. The country accepted, as a fact accomplished, 
the breaking of the military power of the rebellion, and gladness 
was in every heart, congratulations on every lip. Days for special 
thanksgiving were appointed in all the loyal States, and cities 
were vieing with each other in devising means to give fitting ex- 
})ression to the nation's joy. The people were expecting some re- 
lief from the burden of taxation (indeed the w^ork of retrenchment 
had already begun). Our brave, long suffering armies w^ere cast- 
ing wistful glances to their Northern homes. The wives and 
mothers of the land began again to call their husbands and sons 
their own, and to feel that fe"\v if any more would be called to make 
the costly sacrifice so many had already made. 

This very day had been set apart by tlie military and civil au- 
thorities of these cities for a grand triumphal procession. 

The great, magnanimous North, never vindictive, through all 
their provocations, having subdued the rebellion by force of arms, 
were setting themselves to the more pleasing task of winning back 
the misguided rebels by the exercise of a Christ-like, forgiving 
love. They were stretching forth the hand of reconciliation over 
the graves of our slaughtered brothers, and taking back to their 
hearts, almost before their repentance, certainly before they had 
brought forth fruits meet for repentance, those who had long 
breathed out threatenings and slaughter against them. 

But through all the land no heart was lighter, no pulse beat 
with a steadier joy than the pulse and heart of that great, good 
man who, under God, had been most instrumental in the salva- 
tion of our nation. To him, more tlian to all others, the people 
felt their thanks Avere due. Even those who, in their ignorant 
impatience, had been charging upon him the partial disasters we 
had sufiered and the delay of peace, as they looked back upon 
the last four years and considered tlie magnitude of the work 
achieved, the difficulties that had been overcome, tlie yet greater 
dangers that had been thrust aside and avoided, gladly confessed 



that all he had done had been well done, and all he had left un- 
done had been wisely left undone, and none denied to him tlie 
well earned title of the Saviour of his country. 

But all this is changed — alas ! our joy is turned again into 
sorrow — our garments of praise are displaced by the spirit of 
heaviness — our flags are at half-mast — -the trappings of mourning 
are «een where there were but lately the emblems of triumph — 
the bells tliat rang last week in peals of triumph now toll mourn- 
fully on the heavy air. The land is full of weeping and of la- 
mentation. Surely there is but one man whose death could liave 
BO deeply stirred the American jjeople. That man is Abraliam 
Lincoln — and Al)raham Lincoln is dead. 

Under any circumstances tlie death of the President of the 
Republic would pro})erly call tlie whole people to mourning. Had 
he done nothing to especially endear him to the hearts of tlie 
people during his term of office ; had he, in times of undisturbed 
tranquility, simply filled tlie chair with respectability, and dis- 
charged with faithfulness the ordinary routine duties of his office; 
still if, in the Providence of Clod, he had been taken from us, 
while clothed with the authority and })ower of tlie jowsiden- 
cy, propriety would have called for all this outwai'd homage — all 
these insignia and formalities of grief. Indeed, then, we might 
have been more scrupulously exact in all the nice observances of 
a decorous mourning, for Avhen we mourn the least in heart we 
feel more at liberty to attend to the decencies of form. 

Our chief ruler is not, by the mere chance of birth, and in the 
order of hereditary succession thrust upon the people, whether 
they will or no. He is, as no crowned monarch ever was, chosen 
by the grace of God and the voice of tlie people, as the foremost 
citizen of the Rejmblic, to preside and rule in its councils and ex- 
ecute its laws. He is not a mere lay figure, dressed in the robes 
o^^' royalty, hut the living re[)resentation of the nation's will, the 
embodiment of its greatness and majesty. The peo])le are not his 
to serve himself upon, but he is theirs — their trusted, honored, 
best loved servant. 

We have then at any time, and undei' all circumstances, at lue 
death of a President, far more occasion to mourn than the subjects 
of anv King or (Jrfsar ; and if we are accustomed at such times to 



,nake les« ,li»,.Uv of our grief than thoy, it i., only '>«-<>«'. l'"" 
".Ig in „n,- l.eirt; more of tl.e reality, we need assnme less oi tl.e 

semblance. 4. +i.^ 

But how can we properly voice the grief ot the people at the 
death of our late chief magistrate ? Who is adequate to speak h,« 
worth, which is beyond all praise-above all eulogy. 

,„ no ,>ue thing has the Providence of God been so co,,«,.u™usly 
nranifest as in bringing him to the kingdom tor »»'=';;'-» 
,l,is We certainly can take no credit to ourselves to. luu. . 
Hrst elected hi,n. When nominated and chosen to tb,s v,gh ft« , 
nou, could foresee the terrible events ot the past fou . 

Po we err in saying that, had they been foreseen t,he n,itu 
would not have committed its destinies int.. the hands of one s. 
li„l, known, so untried in public affairs, as Abrahau, Lmco n, he 
lawver of Springfield, the talented but unsuccessful disputant ,.1 
theViiaut of the West for Sen.atorial honors .' 

Should we not have gene farther, and must we not have tare, 
worse? Should we not have sought out amougs the l«»Pl«. *»^ 
th . ablest military chieftain, and .ho that was then known a^a 
skillful General, has since shown himself ftt or such a place. A 
our oreat -enerals have achieved their greatness since the com 
:nc:ment <,f the war. Moreover, in selecting a ■- '^^-^ "-; 
should we not have exposed ourselves to he danger ot ns" " ™ 
and dictator.sl.ip ? Or, if we had not called a military man to this 
Wlh f^ " would notour next choice have fallen upon .«« «.<• 
who was known to excel in the arts of statesmanship, who eould 
most skilfully thread the mazy labyrinths »^!Y,T^tt'lZ 
eomplisli by policy and -trigue, what lie might fai to gain by 
plain, straight-forward dealing, and should we have been safe ,u 
the hands of such a man ? 

But that Providence which lias never yet forsaken us, kept us 
hack from this self-destruction. He hid the dark tuture rem our 
eyes He led us to the choice of the man whom he had first 
chosen and prepared for the work that waited his doing. 

When Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United 
States, the undeviating honesty and the straightforward common 
sense he was known to possess, were supposed to be the only qiial- 



8 

ities needed to guide the Ship of State during the ensuing Presi- 
dential term. 

It was not till after the deed had been done — not till after 
Abraham Lincoln had been constitutionally elected the President 
of the United States, that the war cloud began to gather, that the 
mutterings of its thunders were heard. And not till he had been 
six weeks in the exercise of his office that the first hostile shot 
was fired at the National flag;. 

Did we not even then (let us confess it now over his open grave)^ 
before the trouble had assumed the dimensions of a rebellion, be 
gin to ask ourselves, has the man who sits in the White House tlie 
nerve, the ability, the courage, the hopefulness necessary for this 
emergency ? And as this struggle has assumed larger and more 
iearful proportions, have we not been very doiv to yield him our 
full, undoubting confidence? 

But, my friends, the event has, I will not say, justified the wis- 
dom of our choice ; it has proved we were wiser than we wot of; 
we did better for ourselves and our country than we meant. God 
led us by ways tliat we know not of, for our good, intending to 
give us an expected end. 

Now tlie blindest can see that Abraham Lincoln, and he alone, 
was fit for tlie arduous responsibilities of the last four years. He 
had every needed qualification of mind and heart. He who was 
first thought to be merely a good-natured, honest, common sense 
man, has shown himself to be one of the first of men in every 
element of rulership. 

It were useless here to attempt an exhaustive analysis of his 
character, or even a brief review of his public acts. How mas- 
terly were his arguments— hoAv persuasive were his pleadings to 
the South to turn from the fell purpose of secession. He was for peace 
when the J were for war. When war was thrust upon him, with 
what magnanimity and forbearance did he prosecute it. How 
often did he turn aside from the conflict and argue and plead with 
them to stay their hands from the further shedding of blood. 
With wliat reluctance did he prosecute those increasingly severe 
measures, which the growing necessities of the case demanded. 
He was reviled and he reviled not again. He was persecuted and 
he threatened not, but committed all judgment to God. Never 



has mortal man maintained Ruch niag-nanimity of spirit towards 
his hittor, al)usive and nnixdentin;^' tnos as A1)ra1iani Lin(^(dn to- 
wards these hlatant traitors. All tlicir rancoi- and spite and nja- 
lignity seemed concentrated npon liim, and he did not resent it. 
It was not becanse he did not feel it ; no man had a natnre more 
sensitive, a heart more tender. 

This^generons treatment of his enemies has hueiv (;onspi(iious 
from the beginning. But lately it has been strikingly manifest. 
Who but he would have laid aside all formality, disregarded all 
the etiquette and state of courts, and have gone down to meet in 
person and counsel with the leaders of the rebellion ? What 
cared he for form if he could l)ut win back the people of the 
South and restore peace to the land V Then look at his entrance 
into Richmond — Richmond, whence had issued those vile and scur- 
rilous attacks upon himself! Richmond, where to his knowledge 
had been concocted more than one plan for his assassination. 
Richmond, that had been the very stronghold of the I'el^ellion. 
He did not enter as a conqueror ; m^ skulking traitor could have 
detected any smile of malicious trininph : any attitnde or look of 
boastfulness. He did not drag tlic ca[)tives to his arms in chains. 
He entered as the messenger of [)eace ; he went bearing glad 
tidin<>:s : he went scattering blessings and distributiuir st,ores to 
the needy. And up to the moment of his death his interest in 
and love for the rebellious South was only second to his gratitude 
to and admiration of the faithful North. 

And this great, good man made himself beloved everywhere. 
Scarcely a home in all the free North and West where his name 
was not spioken with reverence — where even the children did not 
love him. The oppressed and down-trodden looked to him as 
their protector. In every cam]) and garrison he was almost 
adored. No man ever liad moi'c love in his heart, or awoke more 
love in the hearts of others. 

As Commacder-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, as i-eal head 
of the forces of the United States, though not by profession or 
practice a soldier, he was yet incomparable. He has siiown le- 
markable wisdom in the selection oi' his othcers. lie has ntver 
withheld from them all the aid that he could I'urnish. He has 
been patient with them in their reverses. He has taken to him- 



10 



self all tl,e censure of their failures, and awarded to them all the 
praise of t1>eir successes. He has felt no pang ot jealousy at the.r 
growing popularity. He has perhaps been slow at rmes rn rul- 
di„<. himself of the incompetent. He may occasionally have been 
tardy in dismissing the disobedient. It ,s possible that orice 
or twice he has yielded to the unreasonable clamour of a party, 
and removed some whom his better judgment would have retained 
But wlm can sav that any one would have controlled with e-tual 
firmness, and fairness, and ability, the u, litary and naval forces. 
the United States. And he did control them. He has never 
been the puppet of others. He has never turned over to othe, .., 
aven the members of his own cabinet, the respousihilities he hmi- 
self assumed. He has kept all power m his own hands. He has 
fulfilled his oath of offie. 

We thou..lit at one time, whatever quahhcat.ons Abraham Lin- 
coln had, lie was no Statesman. But in this we liave been mis- 
taken How calm he has been tluough all the storm. How pa- 
ientlv he has listened to contending counsels. How well he has 
kept in liand the somewhat discordant elernents „ his cabinet, 
representing as they do the conservative and the radiea , the plia- 
ble a, d the unviehling schools of rolitics, serving himself and 
the countrv by either in turn, and ruled by none. How readily 
he has adapted himself to the changing aspects ot the moment- 
ous strife. How implicitly he has relied upon tlio outspoken loy- 
a ty of the North, and reckoned upon the returning good sense of 
those who have a times bitterly denounced both him and his 
tZjl And how humbly and denendently he has looked to 
the Ruler of nations, the King of Kings, the great and only Po- 
tentate, for direction and success. In all this he has shown hini- 
,«lf a Statesman, and will take his place in history among the 
foremost of the world's great men. 

In the management of our Foreign affairs, (for here, too, his 
has been the master-spirit,) by his straightforward honesty, by 
his steadfast persistency, by his calm dignity, by h.s nnrulHed 
patience, he has avoided all embarrassing complications an. lias 
secured for himself an,l his country the profound though reluct- 
ant re.pect of every European power. Though covertly and elan- 



it 



i 



have not received duim i ^^^^j. ^^ 

open insult. The ind.guHy oft n^ - ',, ^^ ^,^^_^_ J_^ ^^^^^^^^ 
Portugal exce,,t,.a, and hat w 1 «^ ^^^_^^..^^^, ^^^.^ ^,, ,„„„ 

drunken oftical desirous ot dist,n„uul » 

Can we tlunk it possible tbat -''--^^ J.,, ',„;,„,„. to- 
,,ave niaintained a n,ore d.gn.hed and "^'^ "-^\^^.^^^,„,^^ ,,„t 

.ards those powers -^y;ZZ:^^:'vr<^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^•'■>''' ""- 
whose power we were not pieparai i^ 

gacred in this fearful struggle at home . 

c^gea lu LMi'3 off.,;r« lie was cnuallv tor- 

I. the administration o -Hon a,, he ^^^^^ ^^^.^ ^^^ 

tunate. Never des.rous »* [» -^= J^^^^ „f t,,„ people-he has 
people-remhermg he was hut tl^« «"^^ , ; proelaniations 

Llmly etched the "- - -™ ;,: , Ze ehid^d hi. tor tar- 
and execut.v. aets ac^.dmgl ■ ^ » » „^^,^, too „arly, 

ainess and some for haste, we f " .^j; j^j^ ,,e,„ed to know 
„ever too late, hut hy an almost D- nef .0 ^^^^^^^^ 

just what to do, and when and '^"^ *" '^^^ ; ,,;,! 1;;, ;„ Ms- 
written hy his pen, every ^^^ ^■^^^^,,, pompousness 
tory. Other, have wntten ^^''^1'''?"; ;'' ' "„,,„ees and with 
J dignity, others have spoken ^^^^/^s^,^ ,,,,e, hut 
nrore rounded peru.ds, and - ' ^ .'^'fiirectness, with utore 
„one have written or spoken th^^^^ -re thor- 

r:gh^:;rd:tt:r;'no- -™ .>oken more dlreetly to the heart 

"^:r::e: he without eredit^thes.ee..a-^ 

of the finances of the^Gove^nmen ^ '-]' J,^„^, ,„ „,„ , e 

have least to do. The '^^''■^"'' J , ^^ least met h.s 

ha, in turn entrusted th.s '"H-o't^ -'•;"'; ,„ „,,iate 

approval, and that >s no sura m;^^^^^^^^ ,,, ,old 

„erit. And here lus •"«-"',;; ,,;,A,uhlu his power to en- 
to some purpose Tlunk -w -U - ^^^^ 3^,^ ^,,„ 

::r:rr;i::;f- ";::u\ation ..d ...., it .. .. ^ 

Abraham Lincoln . 



12 

But, my friends, were I to continue this imperfect, inadequate 
eulogy where Avould the growing numbers end? You all knew 
him and loved him. He served, how faithfully, during his first 
four years, and the people gave him the best posssible prc.f of 
their confidence and gratitude, by sending him for another term. 
He had done well, certainly— they knew no one who promised 
l)etter. He had not quite finished what he liad begun, (though 
more nearly than we thought) and they were unwilling to trust 
the job in other hands. A general overturn of the Government 
in that crisis was felt to be hazardous in the extreme. Besides, 
the people believed in him, and loved him, as they had believed 
in and loved no man before since Washington, and they would 
have him for President. Some, who assumed to be the leaders of 
the people, attempted to manufacture a feeling against him, but 
it was all in vain; the will of the i)eople was unmistakeably man- 
ifest, and the politicians could only bow before it. Besides all 
their individual preferences, there was a strong feeling in the 
hearts of the people, that since the rebellion had been inaugurated 
upon the especial pretext of Abraham Lincoln's election, it would 
be cringing to traitors to put any other man in his jilace until the 
rebellion was subdued. 

We all know with what a triumphant majority the now tried, 
and ju-oved, and trusted and beloved President was re-elected to 
the Presidential office. We all know, too, that not alone those 
who voted for him rejoiced at this, but a very large number of 
those who argued themselves into voting against him, felt a sense 
of relief at the result of the election, and acknowledged to them- 
selves, if not to others, that the country would be safer for the 
next four years under him, than under any other tried or untried 
man. 

Well, God too seemed to set the seal of His ai)proval upon this 
act of the people. More has been done towards tbe restoration 
of peace within the past foiu- or six months than in all the four 
years before— at least, it has seemed to us more, as we have been 
so rapidly approaching the consummation of our hopes. 

But this man, so loved and trusted—so blessed of God, has 
gone. Funeral honors have been done him. His poor body has 
been buried from sight ; another than he sits in his chair of office ; 



13 

another than he coinmantls our armies and navies ; another than 
he directs our forei<;n policy ; anotlier than he controls tli» vast 
powers and patronage of the Executive ; anotlier name has already 
heen si^•ned to a President's proclamation. Is it any wonder that 
the people weep? Ah, not yet, stunned as they are hy the hlow, 
do they know the greatness of their loss. They will know it bet- 
ter next month, and better still next year, and better still when 
four years have passed away. Good as may be our hopes of his 
successor, we have little faith that in Andrew Johnson we shall 
find an Abraham Lincoln, No, there is but one with whom his 
name can ever be associated in terms of equal praise ; there is but 
one whose statue will stand with his in the same niche of the 
Temple of Fame— that one is George Washington. We cannot, 
need not, displace the Father of his country to make room for that 
country's Redeemer. Neither would take to themselves the honors 
their grateful country will delight to show, much less would those 
equally great and good men dispute for such honors. No, they 
shall stand side by side in the nation's history. We will pay 
them equal honors. Infants shall learn to lisp their names in 
concert, and the aged shall bless them both with their latest 

breath. 

Abraliam Lincoln is dead ! Had he died by the ordinary vis- 
itation of Providence, our grief had hardly been less, for it would 
have been immeasurable then ; but we should have been spared 
the feelings of outraged dignity, of almost uncontrollable anger 
that adds such a sharp poignancy to our sorrow . 

I would not harrow up your already excited feelings l)y detail- 
ing the particulars of that horrid massacre ; nor will I attempt 
th« useless task of depicting the fiendish enormity of the crime. 
Let it be enough to say that he has been assassinated, not by one 
man, bereft of reason, burning to avenge some fancied insult 
wreaked upon him, but in accordance with a long concocted and 
deeply laid scheme; in ol)edience to the savage behests of that 
infamous rebellion which had been well nigh subdued. 

God forbid that I should say ought, to day, at this hour, to 
strengthen in your hearts any feelings of revenge, or to awaken 
your resentment towards those who are innocent, in their hearts, 
of all eomplicity with the devilish act. But it is well to remem- 



14 

be that not those alone who were immediately engaged in this 
crime are responsible for it. 

Whether they meant it or not, all who have heen inrtrumental 
in exciting and perpetuating this aeoursed rehellion have heen 
agents in this crime. Have they not weakened the force of law 
a:d order ? Have they not violated the sanctity of oaths ? Have 
they not destroyed, in the hearts of thousands, all regau o, 
honor, and virtue, and patriotism? Have *ey ""^ -^ ^f ^l , 
most reckless disregard of the sanctity of human '*? Have ev 
not educated the people to be murderers and ---'-■ f^^f, 
not, then, to a greater or less extent, chargeable wrth tins d.ahoh 
cal, unspeakable crime? , ^ ,7 v. 

More, whether they meant it or not, all, Nortn .nA *»<;. who 
,,a« maligned onr most worthy magistrate, who have mock da 
L and llifled him, who have branded him a. an rmbeorle a, d 
a tyrant, who have denounced his acts as those of a usurper, who 
: tradnced his motives, who have charged hrm wrth covert 
treason who have held him up to the unmerited scorn and den 
lo 'the world, who have falsely charged that he andhrs mea - 
„r.s were the <.rcat obstacles to returning peace and amity , 

IL: lid their name is legion, and their residence is m ever 
State and city and village throughout the land,) all these 
been instrumental in his death ^ ^^^^^,^ ^^.^ ^^.^^^, 

T)n T oharo-e upon them an tne m^^^ 

,y a mistaken party zeal, or a mistaken sympathy «^^ th eb I 
lion thev have been pursuing a course sure to lesult, sooner ox 

t ; n such an awM catastrophe. And, iurthermore, I here 
hoTdl'y m ke the statement, without fear of contradiction rom 

y right-minded man, that any one ^^'-^^ "^^V^; 
„athy with this rehellion, or pursues any further the course i 
d^lShed, makes himself p.*e;,.c„W. and deserves, though 



15 



nu 7fh«t - he that hateth his brother is a murderer. 
Christ that he ttiat ' prepared oration, say 

Tiiif T would fa n, ere I ck^se this hastily pi«p 

t'^u Jterwards, and strengthen yonr l«th m Go.l. 
^"b ; S tit .a, le to relieve it, ,et we -- -— .c 
,.., even tH, ,.s not .aUen out Wt in — ^ w^^^ t^ plan _ 
of an infinitely wise, and an infinitely lovin. 



fess, 



but yet, 



" God m.vei i» * mjsttrious way, 
Hii wonderj to perform, 
He plant* his footsteps on the tea 
And rides spen the storm ;" 

'« Hi* purposes «re ripening fast, 
Unfolding every heur, 
The BUD HIT hare a bitter taste, 
But SAVEET will be the flower.' 



While the affliction i» yet upon us, >Te cannot call it joyous- 

by. While we are «*>! "° " * ^^^^ t,,, eloud, and the 

,„„,, we cannot discern the blue, «'-' " ,,^ ,„ yet 

.„„d ground, that lies .i- ^^ --^ ^ ^ 'he Ha.nes, hut when 
in the furnace we feel only the hercene ^^^^ 

tbe lire shall have done ^-^^^^^J^^^ , .lead, God 

for the trial. Believe me, though >^~ „^„t. Though 

.tunives-GodtheAU-meroul.Uod heOn. ^^^ ^^^ 

our plans are frustrated, our hopes recked U 1 _^_^^.^ 

nnhnpaired, His purposes are yet unshaken, H,s 1 



good. 



16 

The power and wisdom of Jehovah are more manifest in mak- 
ing the wrath of man 1o praise Him," than in *■' restraining the 
remainder." Take, as proof, the one crowning instance of this. 
The coincidence has already heen noticed that Abraliam Lincoln 
was assassinated on Good Friday, the anniversary of the cruci- 
fixion of our adorable Redeemer. Now, friends, if the death of 
the Son of God was tlie life of the world, if that darkest hour in 
the world's history was hut the close of the world's long night 
and tlie harbinger of a day, the full splendor of whose brightnes, 
has not yet gladdened our rejoicing eyes, may we not much more 
believe that this sad event, bv Avhatever wicked means lu-ouj^ht 
about, shall yet accrue to the best interests of this sorrowing na- 
tion. Let us " praise God in the fires." Let us cry, tliough our 
hearts are breaking within us. "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! the 
Lord God Omnipotent reigneth !" 

Now, bear witli me while I seek to direct your tearful eyes to 
some rays of light tliat are already breaking through the gloom. 

How may we regard this event as affecting him whom it most 
concerned ? Was this sudden and awful message entirely unwel- 
come, think you}' Moses was only permitted to see the promised 
land from the top of Pisgah ; then God took him to that better 
land, of wliicli the earthly Canaan was but a feeble type. It was 
a disappointment to that man of God that he could not cross the 
Jordan which lay at his feet ; but a disappointment that was soon 
forgotten in the fulness of the glory of Heaven. 

So had it been revealed to our beloved President that he would 
not be suffered to lead the nation into that land of peace and rest, 
to the borders of which he had come, it would have been a source 
of grief to him ; he might have plead, as Hezekiah did, for great- 
er length of days. But, tliink you that disappointment was long 
remembered, when his noble spirit, freed from its clay, returned 
to God? As his eye, from whicli the scales of sense had fallen, 
looked back upon the Past, and into the Future, in the unclouded 
:light of eternity, think you he was any less assured of the safety 
and peace of the nation, for wlioiu he had toiled so long and sul- 
tered so much. ®r can you suppose that he missed the grateful 
acclamations of the people he had been the means of saving, when 



17 

hekeard the well-earned plaudit, ''Well done, good and faithful 
servant " ? Or, after he had been exalted to be a Kini; and a 
Priest to God forever, had he any occasion to regret the loss of 
any earthly rank or honors ? No, no ; our loss was his infinite 
gain. One cannot die too soon, to whom death to this world it 
but birth to that upper and better world . to whom the grarc i» 
but the portal to Heaven. 

Then, remember— almost faultless as his record, for the past , 
four years, has been, high as he stood in the estimation of th*. 
world, closely as he had endeared himself to the hearts of the 
people— it was yet within the bounds of possibility that he might 
fall. He was but man still— weak, fallible. Though proof against 
temptation hitherto, he might have succumbed at last. By souw 
act of folly, even of wickedness, he might have undone all that 
he has done, and forfeited that respect and love which his uniform 
goodness and unfailing tact had secured. How sad it would 
have been to unlearn the lesson we have been learning these last 
four years, to have taken down this image which we had set up 
in our hearts. 

At the very best, suppose him to have outlived his term of of- 
fice, to have maintained his integrity to the last, to have shown 
himself increasingly worthy of our esteem, to have been able to 
have disposed, with the utmost skill, of all those vexed questions 
that are coming up for settlement, to have thoroughly pacified and 
re-united the warring sections of the country, to have been "a re- 
pairer of the breach, a restorer of paths to dwell in ;" supposing 
all this ; then after he had done all, he must retire and give hi« 
office to another. Well, would there not have been danger that 
his services might be forgotton ? How natural it is to turn from 
the setting to the rising sun ! Can any one imagine a sadder 
spectacle than Abraham Lincoln, after having deserved so well of 
his country, spending his old age in neglected retirement ? Oh, 
it is easier to worship a dead than a living hero ! ' ' Except a corn 
of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone ; but if it 
die, it bringeth forth much fruit." 



18 

Had Abraham Lincoln lived, his detractors woukl have lived 
to caluminate ]iim,aaid lies too often repeated cometo be believediu. 
How few of those who vilified him in life, but will mourn hiui 
ill death. Even tJiose who have been instrumental in that death, 
will join in building and garnishing his sepulchre. We cannot 
surely tell, how the fame of Abraham Lincoln would have stood 
four years from now— but dying now a glorious immortality of 
fame has been secured to him. Then was it not his time to die ? 
The yery circumstances of hiq death, wliich intensify our grief, 
bring us also alleviation for that grief. He died the death o( a 
martyr— he "died for his country, as much as any soldier that lies 
upon tlie field of battle. He was a victim to the malice, the fiend- 
ish, malignity of the spirit of Trwisun, which has wrought such 
havoc in -the land. To liiui is applicable every word of eulogy 
which has been pronounced ovei- the graves' of our fallen heroes. 
Have we not been drying the mourners' tears, these four years, 
by repeating the cherished proverb, " Dulctet decoruw es^^ro joa- 
(rmwor/ "—and shall we deny its truthfulness now 'r' Has not 
he Ay horn we morn repeatedly envied the glory of the man who 
has ''died tp make us free ", and shall we not admit that the 
name of Abraham Lincoln has gathered an additional lustre, tliat 
he has died a martyr to his love of country and of liberty ? 

He died suddenly— but was he not, by this means, spared all 
the pains of dying ? He took no tearful farewell of friends— his 
last hours were not embittered by any fears of the future of his 
country. To him sudden death was only sudden glory, and 

" He pi-oved how bright were the realms of light, 
Bursting at once upon the sight-" 

The aim of the murderous assassin was sure ; his work was 
thorough. But by this very means, Abraham Lincoln was spared 
all knbwledge of tiie crime committed upon him ; he saw not tlic 
hand that smote him. His great heart was spared the pang of 
knowing that all his clemency, all his forbearance., all his (ur- 
giving love had been thus foidly reciuited. Oh, mv friends, fc.r 
him there was many mingled with this strange judgment : their 
were drops of comibrt in this cup of afiliction. 



19 

Again, how may we regard this event as affecting the nation ? 
Perh'iips this even was needed to teach us the lesson we have been 
far too slow to learn ; to turn from man " whose breath is in his 
nostrils," and put our dependence alone upon God ''whose goings 
forth have been from old, even from everlasting." In the very 
greatness of our grief to-day, are we not dishonoring God? It 
has been well said, ''no man is necessary." That God who 
raised liim up for the emergency, can find other men to carry on 
liis plans. " Out of the very stones of the street he can raise up 
(successors) to Abraham." 

This crime committed upon the person of our President has 
served to brand treason with the greatest infamy. It is, as we 
have before said, but the legitimate offspring of this hideous 
monster. We have learned now what diabolical crimes will be 
engendered and encouraged among a people who lend or sell 
themselves to practice the foul crimes of treason. A war began 
and prosecuted, on tlie part of the South, in the spirit in which 
this has been, will lead inevitably to this blackest, most devilish 
of crimes. Recall the course of wickedness this rebellion has run? 
It began in theft and perjury : then followed the lynching of wo- 
men,^he hanging of unionists, the rifling of our honored dead, 
the murder of our wounded, the mining of Libby Prison, the de- 
liberate starving of our prisoners, the attempted burning of New 
York ; and last, and worst, the plot to assassinate the President^ 
and his Cabinet. Henceforth freason stands unmasked, in all its 
native hideousness. We know of what it is capable. It is noVr 
" a crime to be punished and not pardoned." We can forgive all, 
even now, who truly repent of and forsake it ; but all others, be 
they Generals oi- privates, chief men or humble citizens, must ex- 
pect tlie full vengeance of the law. 

This crime will hasten tiie restoration of peace, and secure its 
perpetuity. We have faith enough left yet, in the masses and 
nianv of the leaders of this rebellion, to believe that this crime 
will open their blind ey«s to the nature of that guilt in which 
they have participated- They will hasten, not only to disavow, 
this one overtopping sin, but to sever themselves, once and forev- 
er, from any part or lot in this accursed civil war. Never again 



- 20 

will designing, wicked men, be able to lure the people to treason — 
to their own destruction. Woe, woe will be pronounced upon 
that man who shall attempt again to aet such fierce fire as has 
keen sweeping through the land. 

The foundations of our liberties haye again been laid in blood 
— the blood of the noblest, and the best of the land. From all 
parts of the countrj has the rich treasure been drawn — and now, 
to cement the whole, the blood of him who was the foremost in 
the land — who was the head of the nation — has been demanded. 
He would not have withheld the costly sacrifice, and ghall we 
begrudge it ? No ! the foundations ihus laid shall never again 
be disturbed — at least, not till Grod's purposes concerning this 
people shall be fully accomplished. 

Thus, my friends, have I attempted, to speak, thougli inade- 
quately, of the worth of our lamented President — of the causes 
which have brought this great sorrow upon the land, and to point 
you to a few of the reasons why we should mollify our excessive 
grief. As we leave this house, let it be with the purpose to be 
grateful to God for having brought Abraham Lincoln to the king- 
dom for such a time as this ; for having endowed him so plenti- 
fully with wisdom from on high , for his great trust ; for having 
preserved his life so long through so many dangers ; and for giv- 
ing us such sure hope in his death. 

God grant that we may be as faithful in our day and genera- 
tion, and that, whenever, or however, we may be called home, 
we may enter upon as happy an immortality as has already burst 
upon the vision of Abraham Lincoln. 



B S 'i2 



